A Preliminary Study on Shelf Life of Functional Beverage Developed From Sugarcane ( Saccharum officinarum ), Moringa stenopetala , and Barley Malt Stored Un

This preliminary study extends our previously published characterization of these formulations by evaluating antioxidant retention and microbial stability under ambient storage. Given the limited analytical scope and the use of two replicates per formulation, the study is aimed at indicating the shelf life of a functional beverage stored under ambient conditions. Ambient storage accelerates degradation and shortens the shelf life. Aseptic processing, packing with airtight glass bottles, postfilling pasteurization, and the use of phytochemicals primarily derived from Moringa stenopetala leaf extract as a preservative to provide antioxidant and antimicrobial capacity to preserve the beverage were used to increase the beverage′s shelf life. Phenolics and flavonoids were quantified via spectrophotometry, while ferric‐reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical‐scavenging activities were measured using spectrophotometry too. Viable colony‐forming units (CFU) of microorganisms were enumerated through the membrane filtration method using monitors. Incorporating 20%–30% M. stenopetala leaf extract into the beverages improved antioxidant retention and microbial stability, thereby indicating an extension of the shelf life to up to 8 weeks under ambient storage. In contrast, formulations with less than 20% M. stenopetala achieved shelf lives below 8 weeks. Among the developed products, CM8 (70% sugarcane, 20% M. stenopetala , and 10% malt), CM9 (70% sugarcane, 25% M. stenopetala , and 5% malt), and CM10 (70% sugarcane and 30% M. stenopetala ) retained the better antioxidant capacity and remained within microbiological safety limits after 8 weeks of storage.